CSAs in Indianapolis 2014

Today's Indianapolis Star features a list of CSAs in Indianapolis as well as information on a new farmers market on the Indianapolis northside. If you have an Indianapolis area or Bloomington CSA that wasn't featured in the Star article, please share your information below!

CSA option for tougher times

Going Local reports that Kiss My Grass Farm in Morgantown is offering an option this season for persons interested in a CSA.

According to Going Local, you can "work off" half the cost of a subscription by assisting on the farm. It's a great idea, as the up-front costs for a CSA subscription can seem overwhelming in today's economic climate. Kudos for their creativity!

CSAs in Indianapolis and Bloomington

Searching for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in Indianapolis or Bloomington for this summer?

There are many options for you to consider. CSA programs range in season length, variety, delivery and share size.

Here are some of the CSA programs serving the greater Indianapolis metropolitan area and/or Bloomington:

• Balanced Harvest
• Big City Farms
• Core Farms CSA
• Double Oak Farm
• Farming Engineers
• Homestead Growers
• Kiss My Grass Farm
• Lost Pond Farm CSA
• Melody Acres CSA
• Nameless Creek Growers Association (Harvest Thyme CSA)
• Old Growth CSA
• Seldom Seen Farm
• Victory Acres

Please note that not while a CSA may state it serves Indianapolis, it may or may not serve your area of town.

While I'm sitting out due to financial considerations in 2009, I am eager to hear about others' experiences this season!

Attacking my very being

I have been accused via e-mail of trying to sabbatoge an Indianapolis CSA, of libel, of slander, and refusing to work with this CSA for a positive gain. The word enemy is a very strong word.

Yet, this CSA has not corrected with details any innacuracies they see, only that I am spreading "lies" about their organization. If I failed to recognize kale, for example, please let me know when it was delivered to me and what it looked like.

I also would like to state I offered to work with this CSA to develop an educational article/Q&A about organic farming, the challenges of a CSA or a behind-the-scenes look at how CSAs differ from a "farmers market" vendor, and I was responded to that "the proposal was inadequate."

Here's the deal. I'm sorry that this CSA owner is so fearful of me and what I have to say on a small green parenting blog that they have to lash out at me. I'm sorry this person doesn't believe in the First Amendment when the opinion differs from him or her. I'm sorry this person came out attacking me from the get-go instead of calmingly correcting any perceived innacuracies or asking to take it offline.

But the reality is this person chose to attack my very being. I pride myself on being an honest person and a person of my word. It's part of my faith. It's part of who I am. And by attacking the core of who I am, this person created an adversarial environment. Frankly, I feel like I'm being bullied with the threat of legal action.

Despite the fact this person has yet to acknowledge that they will retract their claims of libelous behavior from my blog, I will be the better person and remove the name of the CSA from this post per their request. I am also retracting my four-star review on LocalHarvest.

If you are researching CSAs and would like to know more, I will post a link to Indianapolis-area CSAs within the next day and am happy to share with you my positive and negative experiences in fairness with you via e-mail.

Back to your regularly scheduled green mommy blog!

You be the judge

My experience with the Indianpaolis area-based organic CSA I subscribed to in 2008 is the subject of some heated conversation on my blog yesterday.

A commenter on my blog has stated he or she gotten an attorney involved over comments I made about my CSA experience with one of the area's oldest CSAs, claiming I made "attempts to damage our business" and goes on to accuse me of slander and libel. Obviously I disagree.

This poster requested that I remove the end-of-the-season survey about my experience. Despite my beliefs of the First Amendment and the truthfulness of my comments, I will remove Nature's Harves Organics' survey questions from the post.

However, I am summarizing my responses here, because these are my words and my commentary of my experiences of the 2008 season with this particular CSA.

• The organic CSA went beyond my expectations in providing shitake mushrooms, which was not listed on the original listing of produce for 2008.
• I enjoyed the recipes provided and would have used them more if we had larger amounts of certain types of produce in the featured recipes.
• I felt that at times we could have had better instructions on identifying produce. I stand by this due to my cilantro cooking disaster and to my frustrations in trying to identify the various greens.
• We had some challenges due to the crazy early summer weather, which impacted the produce selection for farmers in Indiana. I felt that I had too many tomatoes, peppers and lettuces as a result.
• I felt that at times the variety and quantity wasn't what I had expected.
• I did feel the pick up was convenient.
• Many of the items promised were never delivered* or were not delivered in usable quantities for the recipes. I signed up for this CSA because of the distinct variety promised and felt that didn’t happen for our family.
  * These included: arugula, beets, thyme, parsley, lavender, mint, chamomile, garlic chives, kohlrabi, leeks, kale, melons.

You can read my back posts on the 2008 CSA season here. I encourage everyone who is considering CSA participation to research a variety of sources when making a decision.

As I stated on my blog earlier today, these are challenging times. 50,000 people lost their jobs in one day alone, according to our local paper. Our state's unemployment is 8.2 percent, one of the worst in the nation. More than a quarter of a million Hoosiers are unemployed.

I think it is a sad statement that a local CSA is threatening an attorney at a former customer because their business is down, given the challenges of today's economy.

Written later Jan. 28: I am deleting references to this CSA's name. I am tired of the bullying and the name-calling by this particular person. I offered to compromise with a written Q&A with their article to educate people on the challenges of running a CSA and organic farming and was told that the "proposal is inadequate." I feel as if I am being threatened by their representatives with legal action. Thank you, CSA representatives, for ruining my perception of your CSA operations in less than 48 hours. The funny thing is, I'd planned to re-sign up once my husband found work. I am glad to know there are many, many other options from which to choose.

My CSA Experience 2008

Wrapping up my first year with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in Indianapolis, I've realized I've learned a lot about the CSA process and local eating.

First, you learn you're at the mercy of the weather. You may not completely realize this when visiting a farm stand or farmers market, but when you participate in a CSA, you are at the mercy of Mother Nature. I was scheduled to start getting weekly shares of locally produced produce at the beginning of May - about a month before many farmers markets are open here - but weather derailed the aggressive plans.

Second, you may - or may not - get a more variety with a CSA plan than if you went to the farmers market. I signed up for the program with one of more established CSA programs in the greater Indianapolis area because of the wide variety of produce promised, and much of it didn't happen. I felt like I got a lot of expensive tomatoes, lettuce and green peppers, when I could have simply got those at the local farmers markets instead (organic and at a much cheaper price).

Third, quality can still be an issue. Unlike with farmers markets or shopping in a store, you get what you get with a CSA and can't pick or choose produce that looks better. And sometimes, you end up with unusable stuff. My husband commented again this weekend that "There's more produce we can't use, again," when tossing out some unripe tomatoes that couldn't be eaten. We've also had several weeks where I've had to toss produce before eating it because it was bad when delivered.

Fourth, cost can be a detractor. You do need to pay for the season up front, which can be cost-prohibitive to many families. You sign up in the winter and do not see a "return" until late spring/early summer.

Participating in a CSA was interesting. I did try some new foods and new recipes, with varying results. If you're adventurous in your eating or what to support local producers, it's certainly something to consider.

{ EDITED JANUARY 28, 2009 TO REMOVE THIS CSA'S SURVEY QUESTIONS. I do not agree with this from a First Amendment standpoint, Removal of these questions does not imply I included false, misleading or damaging statements about the company in my responses to the survey, as wrongly claimed in the comments by representatives of this organic CSA on my blog and via e-mail. May these person(s) never have their personal right to free speech or any other right guaranteed by the Constitution threatened!!! These are my comments, documentation and opinions about my experiences, both positive and negative, about the CSA. You may read a summary of my experiences with throughout the 2008 season here. }

[ Edited Jan. 30, 2009, to remove the link to the offending CSA. If you would like to have the names of OTHER CSAs in Indianapolis and Bloomington, follow this link.]

Related Links:

• Pros and Cons of Staying with a CSA
• My CSA experience (past blog posts and recipes)
• Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana, CSAs (added Jan. 30, 2009)

Final CSA Week: What's in the box

Half-frozen strawberries are sitting in my Indiana front yard currently. I'm shocked that the plants have been producing into November, and even more so that they're not tart.

Yes, it's true that you can eat seasonally - and locally - in Zone 5 in November. Here's what was on hand with my final CSA share from our 25-week CSA program.

• A couple of acorn squash, for which I stumbled on an amazing-sounding recipe from Bobby Flay this morning. (Guess my husband's Food Network habit is good for something.)
• An apple.
• A few unripe tomatoes.
• Unidentifiable greens (I wish these would be explained better in the e-mails from NHO).
• Shitake mushrooms! (A bright spot).
• Bok choy - more veggie lo mein on tap.
• A small cabbage, about the right amount for homemade egg rolls a friend and I made last night.

The season ended up being two weeks shy of what was promised, but I would rather have a refund than receive really bad produce for a couple of weeks.

Thinking about subscribing to a CSA for next season? I'll wrap up my thoughts on the experience later this week.

The name of this CSA was deleted from this post on January 28, 2009. I have been falsely accused of libel by this CSA and will no longer promote them by using the name of the organization. The link to the CSA was deleted on Jan. 30, 2009.

Falling into line with the CSA

My weekly CSA share is in full fall force. Sweet potatoes, turnips, bok choy and fall lettuces stuffed my container this week.

I've admittedly become paranoid about bok choy after it's gone wilty a few times. But I found this tip from Ken Horn's Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood:

Store bok choy wrapped tightly in paper towels in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator and it will keep for up to one week. The best way to rinse bok choy is to cut it according to the recipe, then rinse in at least two or three changes of cold water. Drain thoroughly before cooking.

Feeling somewhat better about this week's share, I've been on the lookout for new recipes. Here are two I've already tried this weekend. I'm still on the hunt for a decent turnip recipe.

Chinese Chicken Soup
Loosely adapted from the Subgum Chicken Soup recipe in Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood. In other words, I didn't have all the ingredients it called for!

3/4 lb. bok choy
1 can water chestnuts
2 cans mushrooms
4 cups chicken bother
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3/4 cup cooked chicken, diced
3 green onions, diced
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Put chicken stock in a pot and bring to simmer.

Prepare the bok choy: Separate the leaves and stalks, and cut leaves into 2-inch pieces. Peel the stems, cut into slices and wash well.

Sprinkle sugar, salt, pepper and soy sauce into stock. Toss in bok choy and vegetables. Cook 5 minutes.

Remove soup from the heat and toss in cooked chicken and green onions. Drizzle sesame oil and serve at once.

Sweet Potato Pecan Bread
from Traders Point Creamery's newsletter this week. I used skim milk instead of whole and had good results.

1 1/2 cup organic white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 stick butter, chopped
2 tablespoons Traders Point Creamery whole milk
1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato
1 cup toasted pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour loaf pan.

Peel and dice a medium sweet potato. Boil until very soft, drain, mash. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat milk. Remove from heat, add butter. Set aside to cool.

Combine flour, baking powder, sea salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar. Whisk egg into milk mixture and fold into dry mixture. Add sweet potatoes and pecans.

Fill prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into middle of loaf comes out clean. Bake one hour. Cover with foil if loaf needs more time. Serve and enjoy.

My CSA experience: Turned off by turnips

As we reach fall, the weekly CSA bounty from our organic CSA has turned from herbs and lettuces and toward more root vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes and turnips.

I had admittedly never tried turnips before, so I had no idea where to start. I flipped through my cookbooks, including one on vegetarian grilling. Nothing. Finally, I turned to a 1950s Better Homes & Gardens cookbook from my mother-in-law. Buried in tiny type was "Boil" for x minutes. Hardly appetizing.

I looked online and found a recipe for roasted garlic, turnips and shallots. I love shallots and can't get enough of garlic. I figured it was a safe bet. Except I still can't get past the bitter taste of turnips.

My friend Kari, my resident expert foodie, wrote to me and said:

You don’t like turnips because the recipe you tried is for the diehard Southern
purist. You must mix turnips with something sweet to balance their bitter
acidity. Garlic and shallots are not sweet!

Peel, cube and roast your turnips with carrots, sweet potatoes, and parsnips(optional) on a cookie sheet. Then mash them all together with butter, pepper and just a touch of maple syrup or a sprinkle of brown sugar. It is called Root Mash, and it came out of a Southern Living magazine a long, long time ago.

Alternately, shredded turnip and apple “pancakes” mixed with sage, mace, thyme
and an egg and skillet fried to a crisp in butter or oil make a nice side dish
for bratwurst sausages.

It's worth a shot. I still have four more turnips staring me in the face that I feel guilty about letting go to waste. Cherry tomatoes and peppers never looked so good....

The name of this CSA, based outside of Indianapolis, was deleted from this post on January 28, 2009. I have been falsely accused of libel by this CSA and will no longer promote them by using the name of the organization. Please do all you can to preserve the freedoms promised to us by our Forefathers!

The markets are down

The markets are down, and it's just something I'm going to have to live with.

As it's October, I should consider myself fortunate that the basil, oregano and rosemary haven't died and we're still picking strawberries. But somehow, I'm just not ready to accept the full weight of what fall means.

It means very soon, the last of the farmers markets and farm stands will close. Already the options are very slim: the tomatoes that just won't quit, a few straggling ears of corn, several types of squash and pumpkins.

The CSA shares are evolving, too. Turnips and strange greens accompany the cherry tomatoes that haven't given up. I'm still not sure how our 25-week program through our organic CSA will string us along with root vegetables until Thanksgiving. We'll see.

This is what I hate about fall. You're facing six months of sad produce in the stores and wondering what, if anything, looks appetizing enough to make for dinner. It's little wonder so many of us turn to comfort food in the winter: wilted vegetables or a steaming bowl of chili?

The name of this CSA, one of the oldest in Indianapolis, was deleted from this post on January 28, 2009. I have been falsely accused of libel by this CSA and will no longer promote them by using the name of the organization. Please do all you can to preserve the blessings of this country, including the First Amendment!

Thursday morning musings

Random thoughts while I wait for the first Diet Coke in 24 hours to kick in...

• Giving up anything cold turkey is not fun, no matter the reason (in this case, one part financial/one part situational--couldn't get to the store). So this probably evens out my week's attempt at the discretionary challenge. (Chile, this is where you say something really inspirational...)
• I mentioned in my meatless meals post below that the bok choy from my CSA last week was a mushy mess by Monday. I may have found the reason why. According to the CSA's weekly post, "Choy is probably one of the most precious and fragile vegetables we handle. One little snap of the stalk and the leaf is dying within a day or so." Hmm...could have used the warning last week!
• Speaking of my CSA, I actually tried okra for the first time this week. It took quite some time to find a recipe that didn't involve shrimp (as in gumbo) or frying (which I tend to stray from for health reasons.) I found a very simple recipe buried online: Slice the okra; slice some onions. Saute both in olive oil. (In retrospect, we would have added garlic as well.)
• I have to come to terms that summer is over. I finally had the opportunity to go to the Wednesday-evening Greenwood farmers market last night, but it was just too late in the season. There were football players instead of stands. Maybe next year!
• Speaking of, thanks to those who gave me moral support for my posts earlier this week about the little things we did and didn't do this summer. I think we're all guilty at one point or another at failing to see the little positives in a world where big changes are needed (fast).
• Finally, I leave you with a great quote I read this morning by columnist Leonard Pitts Jr.: "We are becoming the stupid giant of planet Earth: richer than Midas, mightier than Thor, dumber than rocks. Which makes us a danger to the planet -- and to ourselves. This country cannot continue to prosper and to embrace stupidity."

The name of this Indianapolis CSA was deleted from this post on January 28, 2009. This small green parenting blog has been falsely accused of libel by this CSA and I will no longer promote them by using the name of the organization. The First Amendment is a beautiful thing, please do what you can to preserve it!

On Jan. 30, 2009, I removed links to the CSA's site. I am sorry if you can't handle the fact that the links were left; there were only a total of nine links in this post before I removed yours.

Pros and cons of staying with a CSA

My Community Supported Agricuture (CSA) experience will be coming to a close in about six to eight weeks.

I'll be frank that I'm still ambivalent about whether to return, and the last few weeks will help determine whether I'll commit to it for next year. There are a number of pros and cons to using a CSA over shopping locally at the farmers market.

Pros -

• With a CSA subscription, you are supporting local farmers. (I say this because I know at some farmers markets, such as Kansas City's City Market, they have vendors who come in or bring produce in from out of the region.)
• You get a weekly share of locally produced produce, possibly before farmers markets are open.
• You may get a more variety with a CSA plan than if you went to the farmers market. (For example, mine is loaded with tomato stands, and that's about it, it seems.)

Cons -

• I signed up for this plan because of the wide variety of produce promised, and much of it didn't happen. I felt like I got a lot of expensive tomatoes, lettuce and green peppers, when I could have simply got those at the local farmers markets instead (organic and at a much cheaper price).
• Sometimes, quality. I've had several weeks where I've had to toss produce before eating it because it was bad when delivered.
• Cost. You do need to pay for the season up front, which can be cost-prohibitive to many families. You sign up in the winter and do not see a "return" until late spring/early summer.
• Weather. We were blessed with a cool May and floods in some regions in June, which may have impacted our early weekly shares. Regardless of how much you receive in a given week (and some weeks there was half of what was promised) you have committed financially that amount.
• You get what you get. If it's a half-cup of broccoli, it's yours to figure out how to flesh that out to make your dish. I felt it forces you to do additional shopping at the store and/or market, whereas if I went list in hand it would be only one trip.
• Not every CSA has a convenient pick-up location. I looked for a program last year, only to find the closest one 30 minutes away. In contrast, a farmers market or farm stand may be in your area of town.
• If you miss your pick-up time, you lose your weekly share. In contrast, if you don't go to the farm stand or market, nothing is lost on your end.

If you're considering your options, definitely shop around. Talk to the farmers more than I initially did - in my excitement I just signed up, sight upseen. To find markets and CSAs near you, visit localharvest.org.

The name of this CSA, one of the oldest in Indianapolis, was deleted from this post on January 28, 2009. I have been falsely accused of libel by representatives of this CSA and will no longer promote them by using the name of the organization. I urge you to research any CSA program thoroughly prior to investing in shares.

Edited Jan. 30, 2009, to remove link to this CSA that was inadvertently left on the post.

Romanticism and reality: Reasons to eat local

"I realize there's something romantic about the desire to know exactly where your food is from," wrote Time magazine's John Cloud.

But there's more than romanticism involved in a desire to eat locally grown food: a desire to impact the local economy, to eat better tasting and healthier produce and to make an impact on our environment.

Why eat local? For me, it started for two reasons: First, food tastes better the earlier it's eaten, and when it's shipped across the country only to sit in a grocery store, produce tends to lose its flavor and health benefits.

Second, it was about helping out the little guy and the local economy. Why not support the farmer around the corner?

But there are many other reasons to consider eating local. You can often get a better variety of produce by trying local than at the grocery. At one local market alone, I can easily find a dozen types of apples, compared to "green" or "red" at the local supermarket.

Reducing our dependence on oil is another reason to consider buying locally. The journal Food Policy even reports that locally food is "greener" than organic due to the impact of shipping for long distances. Reports the BBC:

... if all foods were sourced from within 20km of where they were consumed, environmental and congestion costs would fall from more than £2.3bn to under £230m - an "environmental saving" of £2.1bn annually.

Going local is something to consider, so why not start today? It's Going Local Week in Indiana: a weeklong "challenge" to eat at least one Indiana locally grown or produced food at each meal this week. How can you get started in an attempt to eat local?

• Shop at local farmers markets, farm stands, and farm markets.
• Visit an orchard or you-pick stand and harvest your own produce.
• Ask your local grocery store or market if they sell locally grown food.
• Support restaurants that use locally grown produce.
• Participate in a CSA.

Links to get you started:

• Find a list of Indiana farmers markets, farm stands, and you-pick produce.
• Find "going local" activities in your city.
• Find local eating tips.

Second thoughts on continuing my CSA

We're at the halfway point with my subscription with our CSA, and I'm becoming less and less enamoured with the whole thing.

According to the harvest calendar, here is what I should have been able to sample at some point in the last few months:

• Arugula
• Beets
• Boc Choy
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Collards
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Endive
• Green Beans
• Green Onions
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Herbs: Basil, Dill, Cilantro, Thyme, Parsley, lavender, chamomile, garlic chives
• Hot pepper mix: Cayenne, Jalepeno, Habanero, Serrano, Hungarian Hot Wax
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Melons
• Mustard
• Okra
• Onions
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Radish (4 types)
• Snow peas
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Summer Squash
• Turnips

Sounds like a deal, right? It's a great opportunity to try a lot of things that perhaps you wouldn't have the opportunity to at the store or farmers market.

Here is my reality: A small sampling each week - not enough to make a dish of anything (i.e. three red potatoes) of:

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Cucumbers
• Green Beans
• Green Onions
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Herbs: Basil, Dill
• Lettuce
• Mustard
• Onions
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Radish (1 type)
• Snow peas
• Summer Squash

In other words, maybe half the variety that was advertised. Yes, we've had some wierd weather, but it's frustrating. Just about everything except for the mustard greens I could have bought - for far less, mind you - at a farmers market in the area. I don't want to say I've been duped, but I'm certainly giving second thoughts as to whether to do this again.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

[ Link to CSA's harvest calendar removed on Jan. 30, 2009, following multiple negative communications from their organization. ]

Everything into the pot!

My first season as a subscriber to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program has been quite a learning experience. When you visit the grocery or even a farm stand or famers market, you aren't acutely aware as to how fragile everything is. A cool spring backed up our shares an entire month, then flooding and now heat has hit.

The result? I have spent a lot of money on tomatoes, lettuce and peppers - things I would have typically bought at the market or grown myself. No okra, kohlrabi, or other produce that would have branched us out of our culinary comfort zones.

The last two week's shares have been particularly disappointing in terms of size - about half of what was expected when I signed up. It seems, though, that the produce may be picking up.

This week's e-mail from my CSA stated:

Well, we are about out of our slump this week. We expect the shares to be approx
30% below this week and beginning to get back up to size on week 9. We envision
our shares to be up to full size and value again on Week #10. ...We
understand not every farmer is having a slump right now, however we feel it’s
pretty common for each produce farmer to have a lull or two throughout the
season.

My share included some green tomatoes, more peppers (I am to the point of freezing "fajita kits" now) and lots of dill and basil.

Facing company this weekend, my little chef and I took an "everything in the pot" approach to dinner Friday night.

Everything in the Pot pasta
We tossed a package of pasta with the following:

• roma tomatoes from our container garden
• ice tomatoes (a yellowish white tomato the size of a cherry tomato) from our container garden
• yellow onion
• olive oil to sautee
• can of white northern beans
• garlic, garlic, garlic
• basil from CSA (and purple basil from my pot)
• oregano and rosemary from the pots
• splash of marsala
• 1/2 package leftover shaved carrots
• parmesan cheese

It was a success - even with my father, who cringes at the site of anything remotely resembling a casserole.

As for the rest? The little guy is getting zucchini this week at day care, and the sitter and I plan to put my dill with her cucumbers to make some pickles.

Link to the CSA blog removed Jan. 30, 2009. Want a CSA for 2009? Find CSA programs in Indianapolis or Bloomington, Indiana, by visiting this posting, or visit localharvest.org to find one near you! ]

Harvesting herbs

Few things bring out the flavor of your cooking like fresh herbs. Growing your own is so simple a toddler can do it - a pot, a plant, some dirt, water and a little attention are all that's needed.

But there comes a time mid-summer when you're faced with the choice of eating more than you can fathom or letting it char to a crisp in the hot sun. And you may wonder, What now?

It's a question I considered this weekend, when I was faced with not only my blossoming oregano and purple basil but also the bunches of basil, mint and dill that were the centerpiece of the CSA share this week. (I received a bite here, a bite there of everything else - what do you do with a golf-ball size red pepper or two bunches of broccoli that only yield 1/2 cup?)

Instead I checked out options for perserving what I had for the winter months.

Drying or freezing herbs are options, but as I don't have a dryer and, with little ones, cringe at the prospect of having a hot oven for 15 hours (not to mention what it'd do to my electric bill!) I opted for freezing.

Here is where your old ice cube trays - long abandoned for ice makers - come in handy. They're an easy repository for about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs. Cover with boiling water and place in the freezer. (Be sure to label your cubes, paricularly once you've moved them to a storage container. You'd hate to have any surprises.)

As for my dill, I used it on a splurge of broiled salmon with olive oil and dill and made homemade dill butter to dress up ordinary steamed green beans.

Dill butter
recipe from Whole Foods
makes 1/2 cup

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic/1 clove, minced

Mix all ingredients in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Spoon into serving bowl, and use immediately, or place on wax paper and shape into 4-inch log. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.

A culinary oops

Between my CSA and recent farmers market buys, I've been loaded up with lots of produce this week.

But I learned a lesson this week - make sure you read the e-newsletter from your CSA.

While unpacking the box this weekend, my 3 year old was shouting out the names of the items inside. Down to the parsley. Yes, at 3, she knows what fresh parsley looks like.

The problem? It wasn't.

In my attempts to do something with the massive squash and zucchini I'd purchased Wednesday, I found a recipe for a casserole that I tried to bake this weekend. On the ingredient list was fresh parsley. Great, I thought. I have it!

Or not. In case you didn't know, cilantro and Italian parsley are part of the same family, but have much different flavors. Bon Appetite's Web site describes Italian parsley as having a "clean, slightly peppery taste." Cilantro (or corriander) is "somewhere between bright citrus and soapy" and pairs well with spicy food.

How close are they? Look at these pictures I found on Google Images. The top is Italian parsley; the bottom is cilantro. Very slight differences, and if you're suffering from a summer cold as I was, it's difficult to discern a taste.

However, after chopping and cooking the herb in my casserole, it wasn't quite the success I'd counted on. So that's why my zucchini and squash casserole tasted funny!

(Of course, had I read the second e-mail from the CSA this weekend throroughly, I'd have saved myself from an interesting culinary attempt!)

Hey look, it's lettuce...

Lettuce plucked fresh from the garden is a usual fare in the summer season. And I don't have a problem with it, really.

But my CSA box once again had another bag of lettuce mix. Not that I'm ungrateful, but I'm very interested in some of the other things I've been promised along the way, like kohlrabi, broccoli and other vegetables and herbs I've yet to be brave enough to buy on my own.

After a two-week delay after the Fourth of July holiday, I was hoping to have something new and usual in this week's share. Not so much the case. Lettuce, lots of lettuce. And my all-time favorite, or not, green peppers. And tomatoes. A few sprigs of basil. And a small head of cabbage is the most out-there I have.

Unfortunately, we had storms all morning, so we weren't able to get to the farmers market this morning to flesh out what we had. So we're using this as an excuse to ensure that we use up all of last weekend's produce and let nothing go to waste.

On the menu this week are fajitas (again) as well as acorn squash, which I sauteed in a little butter today for lunch. I'm also experimenting with a strawberry salsa recipe from the May/June issue of Paula Deen's magazine.

In the meantime, I am ready for a fresh new salad recipe to use up that lettuce, and I'm all ears. Post your ideas/links you've found here!

Stinky spaghetti: A CSA-inspired recipe from my little chef

Few things are as fun - or aggravating - as having your child help out in the kitchen.

My little chef has tagged along with me for as long as she could walk. Whether it's time in the kitchen or an exploration of the local farmers market, my little foodie has always been at ease with new tastes, shapes and colors.

This weekend, we went to the farmers market to round out what we'd received from the CSA, and she wanted to help cook as soon as we got home. It was literally an "add this" and "this one, too, Mommy" way of cooking. I had no idea how it would turn out, and I have to say, I was impressed! (Keep in mind there are no real amounts to share, so this would be best done by eyeballing or taste).

The name, of course, comes from the amount of onions and garlic scape involved. It was enjoyed by us all, and even the baby enjoyed an abbreviated version of mushed summer squash and rotini.

Stinky Spaghetti

1 lb. pasta
2-3 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 green onions, diced (use whole thing)
3 garlic scape, diced
1 large yellow summer squash, chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
oregano
basil

Cook pasta according to directions. Heat large skillet and add olive oil. Sautee' onion, green onions and garlic scape until tended. Add squash, zucchini and cherry tomatoes and heat through. Add a few ladles of pasta water and oregano and basil to taste. Drain pasta. Add pasta to pan and toss completely. Serve with parmesan, if desired.

Cooking with CSA: A few successes to share

Recipe planning is key to making the CSA experience a success, I'm convinced. I am finally getting the hang of planning meals around the veggies, rather than figuring out what vegetable can go as a side dish.

Our family experimented with several new recipes this week. Here are some of our cooking successes I'd like to share:

• Spring vegetable pasta
• Spring asparagus and new potato salad
• Fajitas
• Radish supreme
• Baby zucchini
• Barbeque chicken pizza

Spring vegetable pasta

loosely adapted from a Basil Zucchini recipe from the Memphis Herb Society's 1995 book, Today's Herbal Kitchen.

2 c. sliced zucchini
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. olive oil
1 c. cherry tomatoes
3/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/4 c. chopped fresh oregano
1/2 lb. button mushrooms
1 lb. pasta

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, reserving water.

Sautee garlic and zucchini until tender. Add tomatoes, basil, mushrooms and oregano. Cook 5 min. or until tender. Add a few ladles of pasta water and drained pasta.

Serve with parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.

Rating: Adults: 5 Kid: 4 (enthusiastically eaten, but reminded mom that "Tomatoes make me sad.")

Spring asparagus and new potato salad

from Andrea Chesman's 1998 book, The Vegetarian Grill

6 T. olive oil
Juice of one lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lb. new potatoes, halved
1 lb. asparagus
12-16 c. salad greens
parmesan

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss potatoes and asparagus to coat. Grill potatoes, turning every 10 minutes or so, about 30 min. Grill asparagus until limp, about 8 min. (Be sure to reserve marinade.)

Arrange salad greens on plates. Top with grilled asparagus and potatoes. Drizzle remaining marinade on top. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Rating: Adults: 5 Kid: 5 (assuming kid liked it; no noise was made at all during dinner!) A definite repeater.

Fajitas

Yes, Paula Deen does fajitas, too. We found this recipe on the Food Network Web site. Aside of the prep work to chop, it is easy work and the spices are awesome.

Rating: Adults: 5 (Once I picked out the green peppers) Kid: 3 (loved the chicken, not keen on the veggies).

Radish supreme

Radish supreme is a radish and shallot-based dish from our CSA program. *

Rating: Adults: 4 Kid: 3

Baby zucchini

Wash and chop zucchini. Put in saucepan with water about 1/2 to 1" deep. Cook medium-high until tender. Drain and cool. Place zucchini in blender; blend until smooth. Serve or freeze within 1 day.

Rating: 5 (couldn't get enough of it!)

Barbeque chicken pizza
Pizza is a fabulous activity for little chefs. This homemade invention was the result of a desperate need to clean out the fridge--and thankfully worked.

refrigerated pizza crust
2 c. leftover rotisserie chicken
2 green onions, minced
2 garlic scapes, minced
1/4-1/2 c. barbeque sauce (we use Jack Stack)
8 oz. mozzerrella

Assemble pizza. Bake according to directions on pizza crust package.

Rating: Adults: 5 Kid: 5 (There were no leftovers!)

[ Edited January 28, 2009 to remove the name of the Indianapolis-based CSA which we participated following disparaging remarks by their representatives. Removed link to the radish supreme recipe, which is hosted on their blog, on Jan. 30, 2009 following multiple communications from this business. Apparently radish recipes are threatening to them! :-) If you would like the recipe for Radish Supreme, please e-mail me at goinggreenmama at gmail. ]